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The Baked dahi vadaLentil Dumplings in yoghurt & tamarind

Serves 6–8

Underneath a beautiful blanket of yoghurt, chutney, coriander (cilantro) leaves and pomegranate seeds, lie little sponge dumplings made of two types of lentils, baked, then soaked in water and squeezed, making them moist and ready to absorb all that goodness from the pool of creamy yoghurt poured over them. Traditionally, these dumplings are fried, but Pratibha auntie, my sister’s mother-in-law, from whom I get a lot of my healthy Indian inspiration, taught me this seemingly simple (albeit with a few steps!) but a genius recipe. These will last for a few days, so make a large plate or two and leave in the fridge to snack on. Gloriously colourful for dinner parties!

Mira Manek

Oh, this uncertain life……..

I’ve always struggled with control. I think it became my mind’s coping mechanism after going through an emotionally troubled childhood. I used to have this incessant need of having to know every single detail of what’s going to happen in the day so that I get ready for it.

I was terrible at having to be spontaneous at things, I just couldn’t. If something came up that wasn’t planned for or wasn’t on the agenda, anxiety would take over and I wouldn’t know what to do with it.

Self-love has often been seen as akin to selfishness, vanity and being full of it! This is far from the truth. Self-love centres on self-esteem and loving your inner being. No matter how good your booty looks in them jeans, if you do not love what’s under your skin, then real self-love cannot manifest within us. Self-love is the art of realising what you deserve. You don’t have to sit in front of a mirror thinking you’re above everyone else. There is a distinction between self-love and narcissism.